I fish Strawberry quite a lot, but it's always the same routine --- arrive at dawn, fish until the wind blows me away and leave mid-afternoon. I've never ever tried to stick it out past wind:30. I'm wondering what happens after that. Does the wind generally calm down eventually, and if so, is it worth sticking around for the evening fishing, even if I have to retrieve the boat and re-launch later. I have a cuddy so I could even take a nap [cool] in the boat in the parking lot. Of course the weather does whatever it wants, but the afternoon wind is totally predictable on Strawberry, and if it generally blows away in late afternoon or early evening, I would probably make a habit of fishing / sleeping / fishing every trip [cool] .
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Only thing I know for sure about the wind at Strawberry and Fish Lake is this, it's gonna blow.
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Like you, my least favorite weather condition when fishing is wind. I'm also a weather geek, and I often monitor the online weather stations for various fishing areas, including the Strawberry Marina, that maintain avg. wind speed and gusts in a chart format.
As a general rule of thumb this time of year, wind kicks up between 10:00 and 12:00, worst wind between 12 and 4, and then winds calming between 4:30 to 7:30. With official sunset now around 8:50, one could often fish the morning until 10-12, go in for lunch and a nap, and then hit the water again around 6 and get 3 more hours of relatively windless fishing. Below is the chart for last 24 hours and is pretty typical.
Of course, this is an average and as you said, the weather does what it wants.
[inline Wind.JPG]
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Ill second what Kendal said, I was on the berry Friday & Sunday we were camped over at CC. Fished Soldier Creek 8 am to about 3:30pm when the wind monster came through about 1 ish. Tried to tough it out but when the swells start crashing on top of my toons its time to head for the shore. Went back to camp ate dinner fished CC around 6:30 no wind till sunset.
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Thanks both of you, that's what I kind of suspected, from experience on other lakes. I'll definitely try that, to get in a little more fishing after driving all the way up there and buying the gas etc. I always hate having to go home! Last year I went up there planning to spend the night in a slip, which I had already rented. but I ended up having trouble with a water pump impeller, and had to abandon my plans.
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We were up there all weekend and it was windy all four days. Starting early morning and continuing all day. Not too bad, I mean windy and have to maneuver a little more, but do able and not many white caps. But around 4 each day, they the white caps.
We fished with K and wife and it was not too bad at all, but COLD! And I did not really dress for it so I didn't stay out as long as they did, but remember, I had already been there two days.
Catching was off the charts, and company even better! Got ronman Saturday, up2nogood & Greg & Old Troller Sunday, and K and wife Monday.
The wind is always going to be there, I learned not let it tell me when I can fish[
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But a boat can be more difficult then a pontoon or tube.
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Yeah, I think the weekend was just simply a windy weekend most places. I was out on Utah Lake Sunday in my wee boat and it got pretty flippin windy there in the afternoon. The boat I use at Strawberry is a big old Trophy with full hardtop and windows all around, so I can actually stay out if I want to even in big wind, but it still gets tiresome to endure the rock and roll after awhile.
Glad to hear you did well and had a good time Goddess. You must be tougher than me if the wind doesn't drive you off the lake when you're in a pontoon. I can't take much of it in my tube, and then too I start imagining getting blown right across the dang lake! [shocked] Wind is just not my friend, anywhere, anytime, since I stopped flying kites.
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I have fished Strawberry for many years and the wind drives me crazy also. However, we have used the wind some days and just wind drift using either a fly (wooly bugger or leach) or powerbait. I have had some of my best days wind drifting.
I have noticed there are a few days in October when you can fish all day with a calm surface. Otherwise like the other post mentioned the wind usually dies off around 7:00 p.m.
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On occasion when I want to stay and fish after the wind shows up I head into the channel and find a little spot in a cove or back bay and anchor up/tie off and shore-boat fish. We usually have lunch, nap, cast, and have caught some nice trout this way.
Next time up try to find a little cove and see if this option gives you an opportunity to stay out on the water. Of course we bring a set set of rods for casting since we primarily troll for the kokes.
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[quote Lundman]On occasion when I want to stay and fish after the wind shows up I head into the channel and find a little spot in a cove or back bay and anchor up/tie off and shore-boat fish. We usually have lunch, nap, cast, and have caught some nice trout this way.
Next time up try to find a little cove and see if this option gives you an opportunity to stay out on the water. Of course we bring a set set of rods for casting since we primarily troll for the kokes.[/quote]
That's a great idea. I'll definitely have to try it. I've never even fished the Narrows that way, but it will be fun to do that.
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I bought a drift sock, after that I started looking forward to the windy part of the day because I could troll with no noise or exhaust fumes.
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[quote badbob]I bought a drift sock, after that I started looking forward to the windy part of the day because I could troll with no noise or exhaust fumes.[/quote]
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I have fished Strawberry for many many years and while techniques have changed, the times for good fishing have not. Early is generally awesome, then at 10 or 11 the wind starts and you have to adapt. Recently at that time I move to drift trolling with the lightest pop gear with a spinning rod trailing a worm and you can kill the rainbows for a couple of hours.
I have stayed until sunset many times, but I rarely get the same bite as early in the morning and have to drive home in the dark. That being said, I quit staying past 2 or 3 during the summer months. However, things change big time during October to ice on and you can fish all day, but you have to move many times to keep the bite on. During the fall I never fish deeper than 10 feet
Strawberry is one fickle place....and I guess that is what draws me back there....
Roll Tide!!!
PowerBate
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